"First Fire, Bronze casting takes place at Perfect Vision Workshops"

The first stage of our Bronze on the Boyne project was completed when our kiln and furnace were put into action for the first time in a run through. James Hayes came along to oversee the completion of all the elements. At around 8pm on Saturday the 14th of June we had our first pour. Next will be our bronze sculpture elements. An integral part of the project will be the documentation of it, so we filmed the event.

Perfect_Vision_Bronze_Casting_First_Fire

"Bronze On The Boyne Update"

Bronze on the boyne the mobile bronze casting foundry is now well into the early stage of set up. Presently we are waiting on delivery this week of crucial elements for the furnace and kiln build. This includes the crucible, an item which can explode with a report like a cannon if not made and minded properly... so getting a good one is very important. Other elements arriving ths week is the "superwool" a non carcinogenic insulation to line the kiln and the furnace. Safety is at the forefront of our minds in the creation of this project and we are researching and receiving the best advice combining it with our in-house experience.

"Bronze on the Boyne"

“Bronze on The Boyne” is a unique mobile sculpture workshop project in the ancient bronze casting process. Travelling in the Boyne Valley area, it is designed for the general public, art students, artists symposia and all those interested in art and art history.

Inspired by the Rich Metalwork Heritage of the Boyne Valley “Bronze on the Boyne” is to be viewed by the public in open event demonstrations and public exhibition throughout the Boyne valley area of Meath and Louth. The project brings the participant from making a small clay sculpture into learning how to make a mould, preparing a wax and investing in a unique form of ceramic, into finally casting and finishing the piece in Bronze. Mostly using ancient technology, the project is led by artist Sean O Dwyer and is open to anyone who wants to learn and experience this pure and refined art of object making. We have already gratefully received some funding from Drogheda Borough Council and Meath County Council’s Arts Office. Information will be made available at www.perfectvision.ie

"The Traveller"

I am presently working on a new large piece, an oil painting entitled "The Traveller". I have made about a 100 source images in order to create the sketches and layout of the design for this painting. This has involved the creation of 20 individual finished drawings that are incorporated into the final work. The drawings were made especially for the cloth that lays in front of the central figure and they depict a narrative that is open to interpretation by the viewer. The cloth has upon it a number of items which I have sculpted including a heart, a kylix, a bird and a dagger. There are other objects too, including an illustrated book, all of which encourage the viewer to find their own meaning within the piece. The Piece is quite large at 152 cm x 116cm.

The idea emerged from a sketch that began the idea when I was in Rome...... the painting has brought it much further. The idea came about when I was looking at roman floor mosaics where the mosaic floor would represent objects that would fall on the floor in a kind of play upon what was real and what wasn't. There were a number of these mosaics I saw it seemed to be a genre all of its own. Then the idea developed further and I saw in my minds eye a woman who was carrying a cloth on a journey with Her but when she opened out the cloth onto the ground the objects within it were not what you might expect. Like the mosaic the oil painting plays upon what we regard as real and what is not. Each object holds an important insight into what we regard as real about our "self", this is of course open to your interpretation .

"The Drogheda Boat : An Allegory"

THE DROGHEDA BOAT: AN ALLEGORY an oil painting by Sean O Dwyer
This is a large oil painting commissioned by the Drogheda Chamber of Commerce to celebrate the discovery in the Boyne of a medieval coastal vessel of international significance currently being researched and examined by archeologists. Ten limited edition hand-painted prints of this work were specially framed and given as awards to celebrate the chamber's business excellence awards hosted by R.T.E. Telvision's news presenter Brian Dobson this year at the Boyne Valley Hotel.

Creator of the painting, local artist, Sean O Dwyer of Perfect Vision, has been to see this vessel and the storage barrels that were found with it in order to recreate it for the public to see. Although research is at an early stage, enough of the boat has survived to allow Sean to paint this view featuring a boat-crew and their cargo. Approved by Holger Schweitzer, archeologist from the department the environment, the painting was developed from drawings and notes taken by the artist directly from the the boat itself. The imagery of the work is full of movement and life and the models for the boat-crew depicted are people chosen by the artist who are living and working in drogheda from different walks of life and they include in their respective symbolic roles....

The Young Passenger: Amy Mc Guire
Fisherwoman: Marta Kasprzyk, Receptionist working in Drogheda.
Man with the Sails: Tom O'Reilly, Managing Director of Martin Butterly and Co. Shipbrokers Drogheda.
Boatwoman: Erica McCarthy, Archeologist, Finds Supervisor researching the boat.
Navigator: Patrick Reilly, journalist.
Oarsman: Self portrait by the artist.
Tillerman: Eugene Kierans, President of The Drogheda Chamber of Commerce.

The allegory portrayed reflects the different roles people take on in life and in business to negotiate its ebbs and flows successfully. The artist hopes that the people of Drogheda will take it to their hearts and he wishes to thank all those who gave of their precious time to help with its creation.

Sean O Dwyer

The Miracle Ship: A Response to Articles and Queries

The Following is written in response to queries and articles in the local and national media. (see 38 minutes into this extract from Joe Duffy's Popular Irish RTE Radio One Show "Liveline" . The realplayer media link is below)

http://switchboard.real.com/player/email.html?PV=6.0.12&&title=25072007rte%2Dliveline&link=rtsp%3A%2F%2Fstreaming2.rte.ie%2F2007%2F0725%2F25072007rte%2Dliveline.rm

The radio item and articles refer to the images I have placed here for you to see.

The First Item ahows the Drogheda Indepenent Article that raised the rumpus and sparked 5 weeks of coverage in the form of other letters and articles and radio items.
The second is an image of the original painting discussed, "The Miracle Ship" 2 x 1.5m approx
Third: another later Article concerning the second painting entitled "The Miracle Ship Returns"
The last image is of , "Drogheda Past an Allegory" also mentioned in discussion.

Letter Printed in the Drogheda independent....

Dear Editor
I wonder if Cllr Paul Bell was accurately quoted in last weeks Drogheda Independent article on page 2 that featured the painting that was commissioned by OMAC Financial Solutions and Gale McEvoy and Associates called "The Miracle Ship"?

I say "I wonder" because I was not quoted correctly at all. I hope also he would not really like to take the painting I painted and bring it to the" recycling centre". That seems a little harsh, don't you think, especially since it is evident from the report that he hasn't even seen it. I feel that this attack on my good name and my motives in creating this painting is betraying an over-defensive stance. For I can say with hands on my heart that I was not even aware of the Westcourt Hotel's plaque commemorating Drogheda's link with Turkey on the wall in main street. But as I can now show, their plaque can rest on their wall easy for it is based in historical truth.

Once the plaque was mentioned in your paper I went down for the first time to have a look and I see nothing untruthful in what its says apart from the word Great in front of the word Famine. As Brendan Matthews from the Museum in Millmount has been kind enough to point out in his work that he has made available to your newspaper, there was indeed a famine during the siege of Drogheda in 1642 and on the 11th of January of that year at least 2 flat bottomed type of ships called, a Pinnace and a Shallop, managed to skim over the chains that were stretched across the port by the Ulster Gaelic Clans and Phelim O'Neill, chains that were placed there to stop any aid reaching the town via the river. These type of boats were often used by privateers and were referred to as "Turkish Men of War".

Ned Mc Hugh's book about Drogheda from 1790 to 1850 that you mentioned does not appear to cover this period as far as I know. I am sure along with the rest of the wonderful history of this town there will be many more surprises in store about for us about Drogheda's history. For this story about a Turkish ship is indeed soundly based on solid historical fact. The crests of King John and Richard the Lionheart , the people with whom, Tom Reilly claims, the true provenance of the star and crescent actually lies, cannot be substantiated by images of their crests where there is no star or crescent to be found. It is fair to say that the star and crescent can actually be found in pagan times as a symbol much associated with the sea. In fact we remember "The Star of the Sea" in its christianised form as one of the titles often given to the Mother of Jesus, a title given to my daughters Donacarney School. This of course, like many other christianised stories finds its roots in pre-christian mediterranean lands and legends. The Turkish flag has used the star and crescent since 1071 and one of its most prominent forms before then was as a symbol of the goddess Artemis in 667 BC. You can go back further to the ancient Sumerians to find it also in use there. Like most symbols its meaning is potent and contains more than one interpretation much like the symbol of the cross. Indeed it has become a symbol associated with the muslim religion.

However, who is to say that the people whose lives were saved by the miracle ship coming into Drogheda Port against all the odds, did not pass on the story of a Turkish ship to their children? Who is to say that those starving people did not associate the star and crescent from that time on with the same well recorded historic event? Even if the star and the crescent was already in use by the town surely seeing it on the flag of a ship that comes to save your life would make its meaning even more potent? Who would have forgotten such an omen? Local folklore always holds some grain of truth, like a pearl in an oyster.

I think it is wonderful that our town has such a strong association with Turkey. I feel Drogheda should celebrate its diversity as one of its strengths and its fascinating stories can help reinforce our identity and heritage. I am delighted to see that local people have taken the painting of the Miracle ship to heart and I hope they can see like the symbol of the star and crescent itself that there is much more than one meaning there. In fact a painting is like a mirror, each person sees in it a reflection of themselves.

As I can see that the local people of Drogheda are passionate about their history I have completed a second painting of "The Miracle Ship" this time portraying it in relation to the walls of Drogheda. I hope you appreciate my celebration of a theme which is romantic and inspirational to me.

One last thing. The Ricciardelli reference in your article to the painting of the Miracle ship is incorrect as it was the other painting I painted entitled," Drogheda Present : An allegory" , which refers to it directly and very accurately I assure you. Anybody can see these works on my website at www.perfectvision.ie and view for themselves whether or not it is historically accurate. They can view the original Ricciardelli "View from Balls Grove" in the Highlanes Gallery. Contrary to what you said last week in your report I am interested in history and I do research my subject well. In fact your article prompted me to look even deeper and thanks to Brendan Matthews we now have a well referenced source for our town's story of salvation. Perhaps Councillor Bell did not realise that my research, my work, and my motives were pure and founded on solid foundations ? I hope that like "The Miracle Boat" The Truth will escape any chains that try to hold it back .

Sean O'Dwyer, 23 July 07